Railway car truck



May 10, 1949. K. F. NYsTRoM ETAL RAILWAY CAR TRUCK s sheets-sheet 1 Filed July 13, 1945 INVENTORS. QfZ /V May 10, 1949- K. F. NYs'rRoM Erm. 2,469,513

RAILWAY CAR TRUCK Filed July 13, 1945 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 IN VEN TORS Patented May 10, 1949 RAILWAY CAR TRUCK Karl F. Nystrom, Nashotah, and Vernon L. Green, Milwaukee, Wis.

Application July 13, 1945, Serial No. 604,774

7 Claims. (Cl. 10S-197) Our invention relates to railway car trucks more particularly adapted to railway passenger cars and has for its object the improvement in the riding qualities of passenger cars in high speed service and the reduction of the number of wearing parts in the truck by employing coil springs instead of the friction involved elliptic or semi-elliptic springs heretofore employed.

The invention relates, more specically stated, to the more economical use of coil springs for supporting the truck bolster, in conjunction with means adapted to check or dampen the excessive oscillations of the springs and supported bolster; our invention involving the use and mounting of spring carrying means whereby bolster supporting springs of increased length or riding height may be employed with the desired deflection for high speed passenger cars, with the consequent reduction in the stress in the spring to a point where springs of plain carbon steel may be used, thereby reducing spring cost, as well as delay in obtaining same.

Another object of our invention is the provision of a structure whereby adjustment of the height of the bolster can be more readily and accurately made without upsetting the equilibrium of the car and a great saving of time and labour effected; and whereby the use of the usual spring plank may be eliminated and adjustment or regulation of spring pressure at opposite sides of the truck may be readily and independently euected.

The foregoing objects and advantages, as well as other advantages inherent in the invention, will be apparent from the following detailed description of the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a vertical transverse sectional view of one end of the truck bolster and of adjacent truck side members with our invention applied thereto.

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view transversely of the truck frame and the bolster and taken substantially along the line 2-2 Y of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of one side of the truck, showing portions of the side frame and integral transoms, portions of the equalizer and an end portion of the bolster, with portions broken away and in section.

Figure 4 is a detail view of one of the spring basket holding keys.

The truck includes the usual wheeled axles having journal boxes or bearings, a. truck side frame connected by transversely disposed transom members spaced to receive the truck bolster -above the end of the bolster.

therebetween; but as the truck side frame andy journal bearings are of familiar construction, illustration thereof is not deemed necessary in an understanding of the invention which relates to a method of bolster spring mounting whereby springs of increased height are made possible and the distance between the springs at opposite ends of the bolster is greatly increased and hence the rolling effect of the superposed car body reduced.

In the particular exemplication of the invention as disclosed in the drawings, a portion of one end of the truck bolster is shown at I5 with a portion of the center bearing shown at I6 and one of the side bearings shown at I'I.

The bolster I5 is of increased length to extend beneath the side frames and adjacent its ends and on its lower side (only one end being shown as both ends are similar) is provided with a cavity or pocket as shown at I8, while the immediate outer end of the bolster is provided with an extension I9 formed to provide an upwardly opening socket to receive a shock absorber or reboundv snubber element 20 whose upper end is secured to a bracket 2I extending laterally outward from the side frame member 22 which extends longitudinally of the truck and in spaced relation The side frame members 22 at opposite sides of the truck are united with each other by the integral transom members 23, 23, extending transversely of the truck and spaced from each other longitudinally of the truck with the truck bolster I5 arranged therebetween.

Each transom member 23 is provided with a downwardly disposed and preferably integral extension or depending bracket 2| having a vertically disposed slot or opening 25, as shown in Figure 2.

The bolster I5 is supported by a plurality or group of coil springs 26 which are supported by a suitable container or spring basket 21 having two opposite sides provided with rigid upwardly disposed arms or portions 28, 28, which are slotted from their upper ends to provide the -vertical slots or elongated openings 29 adapted to register with the elongated openings or slots 25 of the v brackets 24.

The spring basket or container 21 is adjustably secured to or supported from the transom brackets 24 by cross keys or bars` 30, of preselected width, disposed through the aligned elongated openings in the transom brackets 24 and the basket extensions or arms 28. In other words, as is apparent from the construction Instead of seating the bolster .supporting springs onv the conventional spring plank and thereby limiting the height of the coil springs that may be employed and in order to permit the use of an adjustable spring holding basket or container-and thus enable the use of coll springs of length greater than has heretofore been possible in structures as at present employed, vwe spread the longitudinal sides of the equalizers at their intermediate portions coincident with the bolster ends as shown at 3l, 3|, in Figure 1,v or provide the web of each equalizer with an` enlarged opening, see Figurev 1, to provide a sufliciently large space or opening to freely receive the spring basketor container 21 as shown in Figure 1. This permits the containers or baskets to be disposed beneath the plane of the tops of the intermediate portions of the equalizer and ...asesina Q basket,` proper permits the present day maximum riding height of the bolster springs to be considerably increased, as for example from thirteen and a half inches to seventeen and a half inches, thereby reducing the stresses in the spring to such degree that plain carbon spring steel may be used, reducing the cost of the springs as well as the time at present required to secure the same. At the same time, by reason of our improved structure, the life of the springsalso will be increased.

In order to thoroughly comprehend the advantages of our invention, a comparison of the methods of leveling cars employingpresent day truck bolster suspension or` support with our improvedtruck bolster coil spring support should be made. l To adjust the height of the truck bolster on vtrucks atpresent employed, it is necessary to place a jack under the usual spring plank and raise it, `vsay atleast an inch, in order to withdraw the supportinfggbars from the swing hangers.;V spring plank must then be lowered suicientl the springs re ufciently free, a shim, of assumed then; be placed under the springs-K-.th g then ,l jacked up until the swing han r supporting bar can be re-l place swing hanger. r4The spring plank is then lowered onto the swing hanger axle or spring plank` support. This operation, of course, is employed for both sides -of the car or truck and often repeated until the proper adjustment has beenmade. This procedure, as is apparent, upsets the equilibrium of the car and as merely an estimate ofthe required thickness of shim to be used can be made, this procedure usually must be repeated a number of times.

Whereas, with our improved structure, none of the members of the truck are disturbed because it is only necessary that the coil spring holding basket or container be raised or lowered and the proper width of key be inserted in the registering slots of the transom brackets and the container arms. In order to replace the springs or to adjust the bolster height, with our improvedconstruction the bolster springs may be raised or lowered (the lowering of the spring not being limited to the usual distance between the ends of the bolster and the side frame member or equalizer) by merely jacking up the'spring basket or container 21 sufciently to release the original cross bar or key and substituting a bar or key '30 of greater or lesser transverse dimensions 'free-.thegcxisaniiea springs. After depending'upon whether the basket is to be held inahigher-orlowerplane; 1

1 Asisapparent 'from the construction shown,v the basket orf container with the nested coill springs may be readily inserted upwardly through theopening or bifurcated portion of the side frame member or opening' provided in the equalizer member and then inserting the proper sized 'or width of bars or keys through the registering slots or openings in the basket arms and the extensions or brackets immovably secured beneath and supported by the side frame members. In order to hold the keys 30 against longitudinal movement, their ends are preferably provided with vertically disposed lips 30a, as. shown in dotted lines in Figure 1, which engage the outer sides of the upstanding arms 28 of the basket or container and which rest on the keys or cross bars 30; the keys preferably being of thickness approximating the width of the slots so as to prevent lateral movement of the basket members.

The tops of the coil springs 26 are preferably provided with a cap plate 26 and a rubber or cushioning pad 32; and the side walls of the cavities or pockets i8 in the bolster preferably are provided with cushioning and wear elements,

'as shown at 33 in Figure 1.

We have shown and described what we believe to be the simplest and at the same time eiective method of removably supporting the spring holding containers or baskets in place by removable and insertible means of preselected dimensions whereby the elevations of the containers may be regulated or controlled; the invention having to provide vertically disposed passages; a bolster arranged between the transom members with its ends extending between the frame side members and the equalizer members and provided on its lower face with spring receiving vertical pockets; a spring holding container arranged within the vertical passage of the equalizer member in spaced relation beneath each bolster pocket and provided at opposite sides with vertically disposed slots; and removable keys disposed transversely through the container slots and the vertical slots of the transom members whereby the containers are removably suspended in place.

2. In a railway car truck, side frame members; va; pair of downwardly extending rigid bracket members supported by and arranged beneath the frame members, the brackets of each pair being spaced longitudinally of the frame member and each provided with a vertical slot; a bolster disposed transversely of the truck with its ends disposed beneath the frame members intermediate the brackets of each pair and provided with downwardly opening pockets; a spring holding basket member on each side of the truck and having vertically slotted upstanding portions adapted to cooperate with said bracket members;

bracket members and said basket members for removably supporting the latter in place against lateral movement, said key members being of preselected widths for regulating the elevation of the basket members; and coil springs mounted in said basket members with their upper coils arranged in the bolster pockets for supporting the bolster in place.

3. In a railway car truck, a frame involving side members and a pair of spaced transom members whose ends extend beneath and are formed integral with the lower faces of the side members, the ends of the transom members having depending brackets immovably secured thereto and provided with vertical slots; equalizer ymembers whose intermediate portions are transversely enlarged and provided with enlarged vertical openings; a bolster arranged transversely of the truck between said transom members with its ends disposed in spaced relation beneath the side members and provided on the lower face with downwardly opening pockets; a basket at each side of the truck and disposed in the equalizer openings, the baskets at opposite sides having upstanding arms slotted vertically and adapted to overlap the slotted sides of the transom brackets; ilat keys arranged edgewise in the registered slots of the basket-arms and transom brackets; and coil springs seated in said pockets and said baskets.

4. In a railway car truck, side frame members; downwardly extending rigid bracket members supported by and arranged beneath the frame members in spaced relation and eachprovided with a vertical slot; a bolster disposed transversely of the truck with its ends extending be- 35 neath the frame members intermediate the spaced bracket members and said ends provided with downwardly opening pockets; a spring holding basket on each side of the truck coincident with the pocketed ends of the bolster and having vertically slotted portions adapted to cooperate with the slotted bracket members; key members of preselected width removably insertible through the slots of the bracket members and of the baskets for removably supporting the latter in place while permitting the baskets to be elevated for replacement of a key member of varying Width; coil springs arranged in the baskets with their upper coils seated in the bolster pockets; and equalizer members on each side of the truck beneath the side frame members with the intermediate portions of the equalizer members formed to extend to opposite sides of the baskets. l

5. In a railway car truck, a frame involving a pair of spaced transom members provided with depending correlated and vertically slotted brackets; a bolster arranged transversely of the truck between the transom members, with its ends disposed beneath the side frame portions of the frame and formed to provide spring receiving sockets; spring holding containers disposed beneath the socketed ends of the bolster and provided at opposite sides with upwardly disposed vertically slotted arms adapted to align with the slotted brackets of the transom members and effect interengaging relation with said brackets; removable keys of preselected vertical dimensions disposed transversely through the slotted arms of the containers and the slots of said transom brackets whereby the elevation of the container may be regulated; and coil springs arranged in 5 said containers and said bolster sockets.

6. In a railway car truck, the combination of side frames united intermediate their ends by spaced apart transom members whose ends are provided with depending and vertically slotted lo brackets; a bolster, disposed transversely of the truck between the transom members, provided with end extensions disposed beneath and outwardly of the side frames and formed on the upper and lower surfaces with sockets; snubber elements seated in the upper sockets and operatively connected with the side frames; spring holding containers arranged beneath the lower socketed surfaces of the bolster extensions with opposite side walls of the containers provided with upstanding laterally spaced arms adapted to extend parallel with the depending transom brackets, said arms being vertically slotted to register with the slots in the transom brackets; removable rectangular keys of preselected Width disposed through the slots in said arms and said brackets whereby said containers are adjustably supported against lateral movement and at the desired elevation; and coil springs seated in said containers and the sockets in the lower surfaces of said bolster extensions.

7. In a railway car truck, side frames united by a pair of spaced transom members integral with the bottoms of the side frames and provided at their ends with depending, vertically slotted, brackets disposed substantially in the vertical planes of the side frames; equalizer members with intermediate spread apart portions to provide vertical passages; a bolster arranged between the transom members with its ends extended beneath the side frames and provided with downwardly opening pockets; baskets at opposite sides of the truck arranged in the vertical passages through the equalizer members and provided at opposite sides with upwardly extending, vertically slotted arms adapted to straddle the transom brackets; removable flat keys of preselected transverse width arranged edgewise ln the registered slots of the basket-arms and transom-brackets whereby the baskets are vertically KARL F. NYSTROM. VERNON L. GREEN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 784,299 Brill Mar. 7, 1905 05 1,016,073 Kiesel Jan. 30, 1912 2,046,391 Latshaw July 7, 1936 2,268,267 Sheesley Dec. 30, 1941 

